


it's better now

by rosethrn



Series: Crossroads [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, cause i do, don't you just love it, emo mike returns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 10:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12815919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosethrn/pseuds/rosethrn
Summary: The night the gate is closed, Mike learns something new.





	it's better now

The night El closes the gate, she returns to the Byers' with blood streaming from her nose and makeup streaming from her eyes.

Mike thinks she looks beautiful. His heart had initially stopped for an excruciating moment as Hopper approached with El limp in his arms, but his breath returned to his chest when he saw her eyes fluttering. He wants to help her in but Hopper shoves him aside offhandedly, leaving him trailing closely behind. He wears worry on his face more plainly than the others, the dark undereye circles and permanent frown exemplary of his seemingly permanent anxiety. No one comments on it, just the same as no one had mentioned Mike's unusual irritability in the eleven months since El's first disappearance. Not even Max, at least after she learned about everything, and she had certainly been the object of his annoyance. They all knew that Mike was more fragile than he appeared; more broken than he ever was before that night.

But now El is in front of him, dazed and exhausted and beautiful. He had always remembered her fondly but didn't think now that his memories did her justice. She had been laid carefully across the living room couch, Joyce and Hopper rushing around trying to attend to both her and Will. Mike doesn't imagine getting in their way. Joyce's night has been hell, with the death of her boyfriend still fresh in the tears staining her cheeks. Her face is marked with steely concern, as if she can't quite bring herself to be present with El and Will, too occupied with replaying the horrifying events of the last few days. Hopper helps her, and she manages, cleaning El's face by wiping the makeup from her cheeks and the blood from her nose.

Mike sits by Max, since Dustin and Lucas are visiting with Will who is more shaken up than anyone but much better than he's been for a long time. Joyce wouldn't let more than two people through the door, so Mike had sighed with unmasked impatience and agreed to wait. Max is staring at him as he buries his face in his hands. He can feel her eyes. He doesn't acknowledge her, but (for once) doesn't chastise her. Max appreciates this, as a sort of unspoken agreement that she had certainly earned a place in the party after the last few days.

"Mike," she exhales hesitantly. "I just wanted to say, uh, I'm sorry for bothering you about El so much. I-I get it now, you know? I can just be really stubborn sometimes."

Mike raises his head, and Max is somewhat stunned to see tears on his cheeks. "Yeah, me too." He thinks for a moment that maybe Max is going to hug him, just because she was the only one there to. She instead fixes her eyes on his with unadulterated concern, and it's so unusual to their relationship that Mike stands awkwardly and wipes his eyes, resenting himself for crying in front of her. Since the gym, Mike had been so careful not to show her any unnecessary gratitude. He felt sort of bad now, because Max really wasn't that bad. She was only ever trying to help.

He sees Dustin and Lucas returning from Will's room and uses it as his excuse to leave. She offers him an understanding half-smile and his face burns with shame for regarding her as an outsider all this time. 

He brushes past them and edges into the bedroom. Will is lying on top of the covers with a cold press against his face, which is sticky with sweat. Mike hadn't wanted the details of Will's 'exorcism,' just relieved that the Shadow Monster had left and now he was just Will again. Or, as close as he could be. Mike guessed that he could never be quite the same as before all of this -- not really.

"Hey, Will," he says, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. He can tell Will resents the pitiful glances that everyone is always throwing his way.

"Is that Mike?" Will jokes softly. Mike really smiles for the first time in a long time.

"I know, I look like shit," he agrees with a laugh. "What about you, how are you feeling?"

"You're like the fifth person to ask me. I feel fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I did just get an evil monster burned out of me, Mike." Will laughs lightly, and Mike wonders with awe how he manages such a blithe attitude about something like that. He has endured so much more than any of them, so much more than Mike could dream of. And yet he doesn't mope or shut out his friends. It makes Mike feel a little selfish for drowning himself in his sorrows.

"D-do you remember it?" Mike asks, regretting the words when they tumble out of his mouth.

Of course, Will looks thoughtful and not at all offended by Mike's prying. "Bits and pieces. The last thing I can really remember is the burning. The morse code, too, but it's all really fuzzy." He scrunches up his face in concentration.

"Hey, forget I even asked," Mike shakes Will's arm briefly, gently bringing him back to reality. "We don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Eleven?" Will says, his face breaking into a smirk.

"Well, yeah. She closed the gate."

Will falls back onto his bed, mimicking a damsel. "Oh, El!"

"Shut up," Mike laughs airily, his cheeks turning an unfavorable shade of red.

"I can't wait to meet her," Will says earnestly.

"I think you're gonna like her."

The door cracks open. Hopper.

"Jane is awake-- don't trip over yourself, Wheeler. She's still a bit shaken."

Mike stands up quickly, but stops to turn to Will. He offers a small smile of approval.

"I'll be back soon," he says before following Hopper away.

El had been moved into Jonathan's room. Mike pushes the door open. She's lying on the bed and had changed into clothes that were far too big for her. It reminded Mike of the night they had found her in the forest, and lending her his ill-fitting clothes for the night. So much had happened since. He has so much he wants to ask El, and tell her too, but words fail him as she lifts her head and offers a weak but elated smile. 

"Door cracked. Five minutes," Hopper grumbles behind him before leaving them.

Mike steps wordlessly to the bed, sitting beside El and reaching for her hand unconsciously.

"Mike," El breathes with relief. She sits up, a bit too fast.

"Careful," he says gently, steadying her with a hand on either shoulder. Her hair, curly and longer now, tickles his fingers. He hadn't thought of how different she would look, and wondered if he looked different to her. He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, and a smile graced her lips. "I heard you saved everyone today. You closed the gate."

El nods, her eyes glassy but signaling a vague remembrance. "Will?"

"He's okay," Mike says. "Are you?"

El's brow furrows, as if she's choosing her words carefully. "Better... now."

Mike pulls her to him and El wraps her arms around him wordlessly. Something so simple shouldn't make his heart flip in his chest, but it does. He had almost abandoned the idea of having El back again, being able to see her and hold her and hear her say his name. She holds on to his shirt.

Their faces are very close now, but Mike isn't able to muster the courage to lean closer. It seems so wrong to feel so complete again, with everything still as broken as it is. He knows that he's 14, that he isn't supposed to feel like this, especially not when he's known her for so little time. But he does.

Mike has seen it on TV, between moms and dads, boyfriends and girlfriends. He sees it between Nancy and Jonathan, and sometimes even between Hopper and Joyce.

Mike is thinking suddenly and resolutely that he's in love with El when she's the one to press her lips to his and make him see stars.

**Author's Note:**

> This needs a lot of work but I'm exhausted so I'll edit it later. Thank you for reading!!


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